Of Jade Dragons and Blood Stained Tears
by Silent Cobra
Summary: Brutal, violent, ritualistic. Booth, Bones, and others are thrown into the deep end of a very bloody battle. Warning: may disturb some readers...please read and review! BB
1. Prelude: Hunger

Of Jade Dragons and Blood Stained Tears

By Silent Cobra

AN: this is my second Bones fic. Many of you have read my first (and ongoing) one, Jamaican Vacation. While both of these stories will be rated M, this one is far, far darker. JV is M for light, happy, fluffy sex scenes all over the place. This story is in no way light or fluffy. I am warning you all now that this is a very, very dark story, with sacrifice (as in ritual), murder, rape, sex, and other dark fascinating (and some very disturbing) things like that. I hold no responsibility if anyone is damaged mentally by this story. Bones and all recognizable Bones characters do not belong to me.

_Prelude: Hunger_

He stared solemnly at her. She was so beautiful, hauntingly beautiful. Her pale, ethereal skin was nearly translucent, with hints of blue. The blue was her blood, that bountiful life source that would explode into redness as soon as it was touched by oxygen.

Her eyes stared sightlessly at the stars above them. They were such a light blue, like the palest ice. Her cherry red lips were parted slightly, almost like an invitation. He touched her cheek and stroked it in small circles.

He turned and looked at the Other. The Other nodded slowly. He turned back to the woman and slowly climbed on top of her. The stone altar beneath her dug into his knees. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her parted lips. He breathed into her, as if he could give her life back.

She was dead, he knew that. But she was so beautiful! He glanced up at the Other again. The Other was shrouded in darkness; the light from the moon did not touch the Other's face.

He didn't want to see the Other's face.

He was terrified of the Other.

The woman was naked, her wonderfully pale body bared for the forest trees to see. He could hear the Other breathing, hard and fast. The Other liked the dead.

Her nipples were a light rose red, a reminder of what she could have been. He felt his penis press against his pants. He closed his eyes. If only she were alive! But, she was dead, and he knew that. He would pleasure himself later and think of her parted red lips around his flesh.

"_Ai anyia coth ra dai…"_

"Yes, Master…." He slid from the altar and grasped a large blade. He turned back to her and allowed his eyes to roam freely over her body. Her breasts gleamed in the moonlight like large pearls. His eyes slid down to stare at her shapely butt and her crotch, covered by soft dark hair.

He stepped up to the altar and pressed the blade beneath her sternum. The blade slid in easily. He sighed in ecstasy as the blade slipped around her heart. No matter how many times he did this, it turned him on. No woman could pleasure him like this. Sliding the blade into soft, pliant flesh and rendering the heart from the body gave him a hard on like no other.

He drew the blade upwards sharply. There was a resounding crack in the forest clearing, and the blade ripped free of her body. He put the blade reverently aside and mounted the altar again.

Reaching down, he pressed his hands into her ribcage. His fingers wrapped around the hard edges of bone as he began to pull the ribcage apart. Cool blood stained his fingers as he reached down and gently pulled her severed heart from her body.

Sliding off the altar, he knelt in front of the Other. He held the dead heart up to the Other and waited.

"_Kor il dinav ser quat."_

A hand reached from the darkness and touched the heart.

"_Kor eli."_

The Other was gone. He looked up and clutched the heart to his chest. He smiled and looked down at the dead heart.

He kissed it reverently and began to devour it.

AN 2: okay, so there is the prelude. Please review.


	2. Anticipation

AN: Thanks for the reviews guys. I hope you enjoy this chapter…

_Part One: Anticipation _

"_Si nay toi ha do re ny…"_

_**The darkness is complete.**_

"_Qun oni tor ai"_

_**Are you the one?**_

"_Ai anyia coth ra dai…"_

_**Kill the imposter…**_

"_Ai anyia coth ra dai…"_

"_Ai anyia coth ra d- brrrrinnnnnggg!"_

_Brrrrinnnnggg!_

Brrrrrinnnnnggggg!

Dr. Temperance Brennan woke with a start. She sat up, her hand going for the light next to the bed. The darkness had a weight to it, like trying to breathe extremely humid air. The light flared on, casting the room in a soft yellow glow. The light didn't reach the corners of the room, leaving strange shadows in its wake.

The phone continued to screech. She grabbed it shakily.

"Brennan."

"Bones," the voice at the other end said softly. Brennan's eyes darted to the clock.

"Its one thirty-six in the morning, Booth. Why are you calling?"

She could hear his sigh over the phone. "Actually, its one thirty-seven, and we have a case."

Brennan closed her eyes, but snapped them open almost immediately. The darkness…

"It can't wait until morning?"

"They're saving the scene for us."

"Why?"

"They were too busy puking their guts out to finish telling me," Booth said wearily. Brennan looked around her room. The darkness was closing in, swallowing the light. She shut her eyes and when she opened them, the light was normal.

"Can you call Angela and have her call the rest of the Squints? I'm on my way to pick you up," Booth's voice was monotone.

"They really want all of us?"

"Yeah…Here's the address…" He read her an address, "I'll be there in about ten minutes."

He hung up. Brennan stared at the buzzing phone. She glanced around the room. She had a strange dream…but she couldn't remember much of it.

Right, she was supposed to call Angela. There was a good chance that Angela would still be awake, that woman never kept normal hours. Brennan punched Angela's number into her phone and waited.

"'ello?" the voice on the other side said sleepily.

"Hi Angela."

"Brenn, why are you calling at one thirty-eight in the morning?"

"Actually, its one thirty-nine, but we have a case."

"You mean you have a case, you and Booth, right?"

Brennan shook her head before remembering that Angela couldn't see her. "I just got off the phone with Booth, he asked me to call you and have you call Zach and Hodgins. Here's the address."

Brennan read Angela the address Booth had given her.

"Sure Sweetie, I'll call the boys and meet you there. You need a ride?"

There was a loud, resounding knock from downstairs.

"No, Booth is here. I'll see you there, Angela. Bye."

"Bye Sweetie."

They hung up. There was another knock from downstairs. Brennan stood up and wrapped a small silk robe around her. It was almost to warm for it.

She padded slowly down the stairs, trying to wake up. She reached the door and opened it. Booth stood on the threshold, looking like he had slept in his suit.

He walked in. Brennan took a step back and observed him. His yellow tie was on crooked, and his jacket was wrinkled.

"You look like you dressed in the dark," Brennan muttered.

"You look like you haven't gotten dressed."

Brennan looked at the blue silk robe and shrugged. "I just got off the phone with Angela. Give me five minutes."

Booth nodded and wandered into her living room. He sat on the edge of a recliner, like he was too tense to get comfortable. Brennan walked up the stairs and went to her dresser. She dropped the robe on the bed, revealing a dark green silk tank top and matching shorts.

She opened her drawer and pulled out a black bra. She pulled her tank top off and clasped the bra quickly. Most of her work clothes were dirty, so she dug out a pair of black jeans, the nicest pair of jeans she had. She grabbed a cerulean blue turtle neck and a pair of socks.

Brennan glanced at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had dark circles under them, like she hadn't slept much lately. But then again, those strange dreams kept plaguing her sleep…

She shook her head and quickly ran the brush through her hair. She dragged it back into a low ponytail and put her watch on. Brennan grabbed her shoes and joined Booth in the living room.

He hadn't moved since she had left him. His eyes followed her movement as she sat opposite of him. She shoved her feet into her boots and watched him.

"Booth? Do you know what this is about?"

"Apparently, an eight year old boy wandered into a warehouse and found at least thirteen dead…ritualistically murdered."

Brennan sat up straighter at that last. "What?"

Booth looked at her. "Ritualistic murders, like sacrifice…to something."

Brennan nodded. She had seen ritualistic murders before, in other countries, but never in this one. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I got coffee in the SUV," Booth stood up, followed quickly by Brennan. She grabbed her keys and ID card and followed him out the door.

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Brennan and Booth rode in a comfortable, if slightly tired, silence. Brennan's hands were curved around the warm coffee cup. They hadn't even seen the scene yet and they were both dreading what they were going to see.

Long before they reached the deserted warehouse, Brennan could see red, blue and white flashing lights reaching for the heavens. There were more vehicles at the warehouse than she had ever seen at a crime scene before.

Booth slowed the SUV to a stop and turned the vehicle off. They sat in the sudden silence of the SUV. Brennan could see officers and agents kneeling in the bushes, throwing up.

"I guess we should go…" Booth whispered. Brennan stared at him. He knew something about this case…something that he didn't want to tell her.

"Yeah…" she opened the door and slid out of the vehicle. The first thing that hit her was the stench.

Meat, the scene smelled like a meat processing plant. She put her hand on the hood of the SUV to steady herself…for the darkness that lay inside.


	3. Nausea

AN: Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy this chap.

_Part Two: Nausea_

Brennan reached the entrance to the warehouse a few steps ahead of Booth. A CSU technician stood just outside the door. His eyes were glassy and locked on something that only he could see. In one hand he held a box of latex gloves, in the other he held booties to slip on over shoes.

Brennan paused and looked at him.

"Booties and gloves, sir, I mean…ma'am…I mean…" The CSU tech's face contorted and he shoved the gloves and booties into Brennan's hands. He made it about four feet before hitting the ground and throwing up.

Booth stepped up beside Brennan and quickly grabbed a pair of gloves, as well as some extras for his back pocket. He slipped the booties on over his loafers and waited for Brennan. Brennan snapped the latex gloves on expertly and pulled the booties over her boots.

"Ready?" Booth asked.

"Yes."

They took a deep breath, and walked into the gaping darkness.

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The smell of meat was overpowering. There was no other way to describe it; freshly slaughtered meat. Brennan felt cool blood wash over her booties. She could almost swear that the blood was seeping up her leg.

At first, their brain refused to process what they were seeing. The walls were coated blood, and the floor ran thick with it. Thicker pieces of people were strewn about the room.

The blood wasn't the cherry red of movie blood. It was that dried rusty color that blood gets after it sets. Under the meat smell was the smell of so much blood, a metallic smell, almost like a tang to the air.

Booth held his hand over his nose, trying hard not to smell everything. He opened his mouth to breathe, but Brennan tapped his arm and shook her head.

"Breathe through your nose, I know the smell is terrible, but you'll taste it if you breathe through your mouth."

Booth nodded and continued to breathe shallowly through his nose. He would never get this stench out. Oh well, better than tasting it.

Booth wandered along the walls, numbly taking in what he was seeing. He had seen some bad stuff in his time, but nothing like this. This took slaughter to a whole new meaning.

He paused near a large piece of meat and lowered himself slowly. It had been a torso once. He poked it with his gloved finger. It had been female; of African descent. The only reason he could tell was her breasts were still intact.

He stood up and continued his sweep of the room. He wondered how many of these body parts belonged to the African woman. He glanced up along the wall and saw a shelf. He took a few steps back so he could see what was on it.

Trophies. It was a trophy shelf. Lined up in perfect symmetry, each one hanging limply…he blinked a few times, just to make sure he was actually seeing what he was seeing.

Penises, the shelf was lined with penises. He stared in openmouthed shock for a few minutes. That…was painful. He knew that each one would be tagged and taken to the FBI lab in Quantico for analysis. They would be able to tell if the poor bastards had been alive when their manhood was sliced from their bodies.

He noticed a door and shoved it opened lightly with his foot. Booth shone his flashlight around and paused in horror.

There was a girl nailed to the wall. She couldn't have been more than twelve years old. She was completely naked, her prepubescent body bloody and beaten. Her brown hair hung limply around her face. Booth's eyes traveled down the girl's body.

Her undeveloped chest was torn open, revealing her internal organs. Booth swallowed and took another step forward.

There was something in her vagina…he looked closer and bit back a wave of bile. A blade, someone had shoved a blade of some kind in this girl.

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There was an altar set up near the center of the room. The hunk of meat that was strapped to it had once been human, but no more. The legs were missing, as well as all outward sex indicators. From a distance, one couldn't tell if it was male or female.

Brennan stepped up to the altar. The corpse had been skinned, professionally. It was very difficult to skin someone and leave almost no trace, but she couldn't see what had removed the man's skin.

It was fascinating to see. Whoever had done this had left all the muscles in tact. It was like looking at one of those invisible human models, where the muscle could be seen and nothing else.

Brennan leaned close to the corpse's groin. The hips were not wide…male or very young female. "I think it was a male."

The body's eyes flew open and his skinless hand grasped Brennan's bare wrist. The hand slid up and down on her arm, leaving a trail of blood. The hand wouldn't have slipped so much, but without skin, there was no traction.

"Help…me…"

Brennan stared at the man in shock. He was alive! He had no skin, but he was alive! She did the only thing she could think of.

She screamed.

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Booth came tearing back into the main room at Brennan's scream. His heart was in his throat, hand on his gun. He slid to a stop and stared. The girl had been horrifying, but this was just plain down right psychotic.

The man, who everyone had assumed to be dead, was clutching at Brennan's wrist, begging for help. The man had no skin.

Booth shuddered, trying not to imagine the skinless touch. He took another slow step forward, not wanting to panic the man (or Brennan for that matter) any more than they already were.

Brennan was pulling away from the skinless creature (it was so very hard to think of it as a man). His skinless hand finally lost its grip, and Brennan fell backwards.

Booth watched, half in horror, half in fascination, as Brennan fell. Her feet scrambled for any purchase, but the blood soaked floor refused to give way. Booth ran forward carefully, not wanting to share the fate that his partner had.

Brennan hit the floor with a whump and a splash. Blood and thicker things flew everywhere. Her black jeans were quickly becoming the violet of blood soaked clothing. Her hair became sticky and clumped together.

Blood spattered across her face, some doubtlessly landing in her mouth. She swallowed convulsively and stared in silent horror at the skinless man.

Booth was there. He reached down and pulled Brennan to her feet.

"Bones?"

She just stared at the skinless man, not seeming to hear Booth's words. Booth turned and looked at the man as well.

"We'll send some paramedics in to help you…" he said quickly, before turning Brennan around and guiding her from the warehouse.

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"PARAMEDIC!" Booth bellowed as soon as they were out of the warehouse. The flashing strobe lights momentarily blinded them. Three paramedics appeared from the light.

"There's a man in there, the one on the altar," Booth started, the EMTs were nodding, "he's alive."

"I don't think that is possible si-"

"Look, he's alive, trust me. Get in there and give him some help."

"He had no skin," another said.

"Trust me, I know," Booth snarled and attempted to lead Brennan by them. Her knees gave out and she hit the ground. She threw up, blood dripped from her hair, mixing with the bile.

Booth knelt next to her. "Let's get you cleaned up, and we can brief the Squints, alright?"

Brennan nodded, heat rushing up her face. She never threw up at scenes.

But then again, this wasn't most scenes.

AN: there ya go. I realize that the thing w/ Brennan screaming etc may be a little OOC, but imagine being grabbed by a skinless hand and feeling the muscles slid over your wrist. The strongest person alive would scream.


	4. Determination

AN: Here is the next chap in this story. Whoo!

_Part Three: Determination_

Booth slowly helped Brennan to her feet. Blood and thicker things dripped from her hair and clothing. Her skin was near white, throwing into sharp relief the blood on her body.

A paramedic walked up. "Is she okay?"

"She needs to get cleaned up, and a change of clothes if possible."

The EMT nodded. "I have a portable camp shower in the back of the ambulance, she can use that. I'll talk to the CSU guys and see if they have any extra coveralls that will fit her. The ambulance is over there, unit four," the EMT pointed and walked off to find the CSU techs.

"C'mon Bones," holding onto her upper arm, he led her over to unit four. He opened the back door and hooked up the camp shower. There was a towel hanging next to it as well.

"Here," the EMT said as he reappeared holding a pair of dark blue coveralls. "These should fit her. CSI Heltzer also gave me an extra pair of shoes that should fit as well."

"Thank you," Brennan said as he put the coveralls in the ambulance. She turned to Booth, "Will you get me a paper evidence bag for my clothing?"

Booth nodded briskly and walked off to get one. As he walked over to the CSU vehicle, he observed the scene. Murder always had too many cops, to many people milling around. But this…no one wanted to go inside. It seemed far more crowded than usual.

He heard a car beep at him and looked up. Hodgins, Angela, and Zach crawled out of Hodgins' Mini Cooper. They waved at him and looked around.

Booth grabbed a bag and waved back.

"Where's Brenn?" Angela called.

"Taking a shower. We'll be with you in a sec."

The Squints looked at each other. "A shower?"

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Booth could hear the shower running behind the door of the ambulance. Brennan had pulled the door open and was hiding behind it. He knocked on the door and the shower turned off.

"I got your evidence bag."

"Alright, hold on." He could hear her snapping latex gloves in place. "Hold it open."

He opened it and held it on her side of the door. He could just see her hands as she dropped her blood soaked shoes and clothing into the bag.

"Thanks, Booth. Are Angela and the others here yet?"

"They just got here," he said as he sealed the evidence bag, "I'm going to start debriefing them."

"I'll be there in a minute or two."

Booth nodded and headed back towards the CSU vehicle. He handed the bag to a CSI. She looked at him.

"Heltzer. You're partner okay?"

"Yeah, just cleaning up. These are her clothes. Thanks for letting her borrow the stuff."

"No problem. I'm glad it wasn't me."

Booth nodded and headed back over to the Squints. They were standing next to Booth's SUV, their faces thrown into odd shadows from so many revolving blue and red lights.

"What happened to Dr. Brennan?" Angela asked as soon as he was in range.

"She fell in the crime scene."

"And that warrants a shower?" Hodgins said.

"When there is at least three inches of blood and other…stuff, yeah, it does."

Zach looked appalled. "Why were we called in?"

"To help," Booth said, "we need everyone we can get. This crime scene is going to take forever to process."

"Well," Hodgins said, "let's go in."

"No."

They all turned. Brennan walked up to them wearing the dark blue CSU coveralls. The name 'Heltzer' was stitched above the right breast. Her hair was wet and pulled back loosely from her face. The tennis shoes she was wearing were a little too large.

"What?" Angela said.

"No. None of you are going in there."

"What if we want to?"

"No," Brennan said firmly.

Booth nodded. "I agree with Bones, it's bad."

"We've seen bad before," Zach said.

Brennan smiled tightly, "No, no you haven't."

Booth shook his head. "Trust me kid, nothing you've seen is like this."

Hodgins crossed his arms. "I'm going in."

"No, you are not," Brennan replied curtly. "You are my people, and I'm not letting you-"

"My God…what is that?" Angela asked in awe, pointing as the EMTs brought out the man from the altar.

"A survivor," Booth said softly.

"It's alive!"

"Yes, and it used to be a him."

"Oh, now I have to get in," Hodgins said, his eyes dancing.

"Damn it, Hodgins, I said no," Brennan snapped.

"I'm going," Hodgins pushed off the SUV and headed for the entrance to the warehouse.

"You want to know what's in there?" Booth asked, his voice tight. Hodgins paused, listening.

"There is a wall of trophies, and you know what those trophies are?"

Hodgins was now facing Booth directly, Angela and Zach held their breath, watching the exchange.

"What are they?"

"Penises, ripped from men, possibly while they were still alive. But that's not the worst of it…Do you want to know what the worst part was?"

Hodgins nodded slowly. Booth took a step forward so that he was towering over the smaller man.

"In a back room is a girl, nailed to the wall. She can't be more than twelve years old. She's completely naked, her chest ripped open. Her internal organs are spilling onto the floor."

Booth closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His face was pale, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"But the worst part…she has a sword shoved into her vagina, Hodgins. She was violated with the blade of a fucking sword. And…" he took another deep breath, his eyes still closed.

"Her eyes are open, staring right into your soul. Pleading…begging…" Booth took another deep breath…big mistake. He could taste the blood in the hair, the meat.

He gulped and felt bile rush up his throat. "She was raped…and left…."

He hit his knees and threw up. Brennan was next to him almost immediately.

"Booth, listen, open your eyes, breathe throw your nose, just like I told you inside."

His eyes opened; he stared fixedly at Hodgins' shoes. His breathing slowly evened out.

"I agree with Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth," Zach whispered, "I don't think we should go inside."

AN:I know, short and boring. Please review anyway! I love you all.


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